Sitz bath/basins are well known in the prior art. Typically, a sitz bath/basin refers to a small, portable basin that fits on a toilet bowl. When taking a sitz bath, the lower abdominal, hips, genital area and buttocks are submerged in water, but the upper part of the user's body and the user's legs are raised out of the water. This particular type of bath is used to help increase the blood flow to the pelvic area of the user. A sitz bath is normally taken for about 20 to 30 minutes and hot water is normally added to the sitz basin to maintain the temperature. Typically, a hot sitz bath is taken in warm water between 95° F. to 105° F. (35° C. to 41° C.), with the water level not higher than the user's navel.
The sitz bath is beneficial to the user in order to relieve pain, itching, muscle spasms and cramps, hemorrhoids, anal fissures, painful testicles, inflammatory bowel distress, painful ovaries, uterine cramps, and/or prostate problems. The sitz bath is also used to aid in healing or for personal hygienic purposes. The sitz bath is usually recommended to soothe patient wound areas and to promote healing after hemorrhoid surgery or an episiotomy from childbirth. The warm water may include medication therein to further help and promote healing to the user. Sitz baths pose almost no risks, but on rare occasions patients can feel dizzy or experience rapid heart beat because of blood vessel dilation. Typical results in using a sitz bath is that the patient's affected area of swelling decreases; discomfort and/or pain is eased; and healing is promoted.
Accordingly, there remains a need for a sitz bath basin that maintains the water contained within the bathing compartment area at a warm and effective temperature. The sitz bath basin should include a heating device and a temperature control switch connected to the heating device for regulating the temperature (Tw) of the water being heated within the bathing compartment area of the sitz bath basin. Further, the sitz bath basin should include an interior compartment having inner and outer shells for housing the heating device. Also, there should be heat transfer ΔT from the heating device to the water to maintain it at a warm temperature.